Brexit news - live: Boris Johnson vows to secure EU exit if Tories win election, as Lib Dems lay out Remain stance

Jeremy Corbyn says Grenfell ‘avoidable tragedy’

The Labour leader pays tribute to the survivors and family members who have campaigned with “dignity and determination”. It was “an avoidable tragedy”, he says.

“All those responsible for this avoidable tragedy must understand that justice must prevail. And every necessary measure must be put in place to prevent a fire like Grenfell ever happening again.

He says all survivors deserve to be rehoused appropriately.

Corbyn also says there is genuine love and affection for the firefighters … they did everything they could.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks on Grenfell 

Labour MP gets call from Duchess of Sussex

Labour MP Holly Lynch has revealed she got a phone call from Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, about the letter of solidarity she and other parliamentarians sent to her recently.

“She was pleased to have seen that letter,” Lynch told ITV News.

“As a fairly new MP myself the challenges of being in the public eye [and] managing child care … we did discuss that.”

Jeremy Corbyn condemns Boris Johnson’s cuts to fire service

Corbyn has been talking about austerity and cuts to the fire service. “Grenfell would not have happened to wealthy Londoners. It happened to poor and many migrant Londoners.”

He said: “The past nine years of austerity have seen cuts degrade our fire and rescue services … the reality is, if we cut fire services we live in a more dangerous places because of it.

“While firefighters selflessly risk their lives to protect others, the government has not provided them with the resources they needed. Between 2010 and 2016 the government cut central funding by 28 per cent in real terms, followed by further cuts of 15 percent by 2020.”

The Labour leader has criticised Boris Johnson personally for introducing cuts to the fires service during his time at City Hall.

“As mayor of London, he was at the forefront of the cuts to our fire service,” he said. “In eight years that he was mayor of London, the London fire brigade was required to make gross savings of over £100m.” 

Tory MP standing down in North Devon

Conservative MP Peter Heaton-Jones says he is standing down in his North Devon constituency for “personal reasons” and cites “one of the most intense periods in recent political history”.

Brexit ‘first priority’ – but could be pushed into 2020, says No 10

A Number 10 source said the “first priority” of a Conservative government after the election would be to pass Boris Johnson's Brexit deal.

“Every Conservative candidate who will be standing for us will be signed up to getting that deal through as soon as possible.

“In terms of the exact date – whether it is in 2019 or whether it is the start of January – will obviously depend on the time that we have to pass that legislation through.”

Downing Street has refused to rule out suggestions that the Commons may not sit on Monday ahead of the dissolution of parliament for the general election.

The PM’s official spokesman said some important legislation remained to be dealt with before parliament can break up ahead of a poll.

“Dissolution is fixed to the 25 working days before the moment of the election – that’s not necessarily the same as when the House itself is sitting so that will be set out in the usual way,” he told a Westminster briefing.

Tories have healthy poll lead over Labour

The latest polls show strong leads for the Conservatives – including a 16 point advantage over Labour in the most recent Opinium survey. Our friends at Statista have taken a look.

Most recent voting intention polls (Independent / Statista) 

Theresa May says safety matters raised by community ‘ignored’

Theresa May says the Grenfell disaster was “a tragedy that should never have happened”.

Speaking during the debate, the former prime minister said: “This was a horrific loss of life, and of course it was a tragedy that should never have happened.

“And I would like to pay tribute to the survivors and to the families and friends of those who died for the dignity and fortitude that they have shown in circumstances which none of us would want to have to face."

On the issue of cladding, she said: “I think it is significant that Sir Martin Moore-Bick was able himself clearly to say that the cladding was non-compliant.

“I think that was an important aspect and finding of part-one of the inquiry, although greater details in relation to those matters will be gone into part two of the inquiry."

May said this care the community felt for each other led to them raising concerns about their fears for the safety of Grenfell Tower, and yet these had gone unheeded and been ignored.

She added: “I think one of the most shocking features that has come out from the consideration of what happened at Grenfell Tower is this issue of the way in which those people had been genuinely raising matters about safety and felt that those matters were - and in some cases they were - just completely ignored.”

May welcomed news the government had mentioned a social housing white paper, adding: “I would urge the government as soon as possible after parliament has reconvened to publish that white paper because change is needed to ensure that those who are living in social housing are able to have their voices heard.”

Theresa May speaks about Grenfell in Commons 

Corbyn challenges Johnson to TV debate

Jeremy Corbyn is challenging Boris Johnson to a head-to-head TV debate during the election campaign.

The Labour leader’s spokesman said: “He is, as he was two years ago, committed to holding head-to-head debates with the leader of the Conservative Party and we would challenge Boris Johnson to agree to that today.

“As we demanded of Theresa May and she refused to agree, we would challenge Boris Johnson to agree today to head-to-head TV debates in this campaign.”

But it remained unclear if he would take part in a three-way debate with Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson.

When asked, the spokesman replied: “We are in discussion with the broadcasters.

“But there are only two people who can be prime minister at the end of this campaign and I think the British public have a clear right to see them debate head-to-head on TV and hear their cases.”

Tactical voting could impact on election results

Boris Johnson could be deprived of a majority in the upcoming election if fewer than a third of pro-EU voters abandon party loyalty, a new survey has found.

Research for the Best for Britain campaign shows the Conservatives could win a 44-seat majority in the Christmas poll, with 364 seats, compared to Labour's 189, 23 for the Lib Dems, three for Plaid Cymru and one for the Greens.

But if 30 per cent of voters cast their ballot tactically, it could swing the election to give pro-referendum parties a majority of four, according to new seat-by-seat analysis of 46,000 people over September and October.

Boris Johnson hires fracking lobbyist to help draft Tory manifesto

Boris Johnson has hired a lobbyist who works for fracking companies to help write the Conservatives' general election manifesto, it has emerged.

Rachel Wolf, who lobbies ministers on behalf of shale gas company Cuadrilla and tech giants such as Amazon and Facebook, has been brought in by the Tories to help put together their policy offer for the 12 December poll.

The former adviser to Michael Gove will continue as a partner at Public First, a lobbying and communications firm that she founded with her husband, while working on the Tory campaign.